liqueur

Type

Also known as

Cordial

Description

Generic for a bottled preparation of distilled spirits, sweetening, and flavor components. Originally herbal (for preservation reasons) now liqueurs are flavored with no end of things from fruits, nuts, berries, seeds, herbs & grasses, barks, vegetables, spices, and the spirits themselves. In some old texts, "cordial" refers either to preparations in which flavoring was added by infusion (cold soaking) instead of maceration (hot soaking) or to preparations to which flavoring was added by infusion AND maceration - but not distillation. Still others suggest cordials are nonalcoholic while liqueurs contain alcohol. In truth, the terms are now virtually synonymous.